Steve Smith’s harsh remarks on my batting approach is justified, says Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell scored a match-winning 58-ball 103* against England in the ongoing Twenty20 Trans-Tasman tri-series on Wednesday.

Glenn Maxwell celebrating his second T20I ton | AFP

Australia skipper Steve Smith's rapport with swashbuckling batsman Glenn Maxwell has become the talk of the town lately, as the captain had questioned Maxwell’s training methods after his exclusion from the national ODI squad that had played 5-match ODI series against England last month.

Addressing the media after Australia’s ODI team selection, Smith had said: "Just looking at the way he trains, I think he could train a little bit smarter."

The 28-year-old Aussie captain had also urged Maxwell to stick to basics rather than trying funky stuff every now and then.

"We've all seen the way he can come out and play and do all his funky stuff and be pretty cool with that, but when he puts his head down he's actually a really good batsman," Smith had added.

Considering that all the remarks were made publicly, there were plenty of speculations whether the two Aussie cricketers are on good terms with each other. However, after playing a match-winning knock of 58-ball 103* against England in the ongoing Twenty20 Trans-Tasman tri-series on Wednesday (February 7), Maxwell busted all the myth saying that Smith was probably justified in his assessment.

“He was talking about one-day cricket and they were probably justified,” Maxwell said while speaking to cricket.com.au.

“As a No.6 (in ODIs), it’s an awkward thing to prepare for because you’re going in (preparing for) about 15 or 16 different scenarios. If your team is 4-50, you’ve got to make sure you’re knuckling down and batting a long period of time. If you come in at 4-250, you’ve got to make sure and you’re coming with five overs left, you’ve got to go from ball one,” he explained.

Maxi also revealed that Smith’s advice changed his perspective regarding the one-day international match preparation.

“That was more what he was talking about. When I sat down (with Smith) we had a good conversation about that. He wasn’t talking about my Sheffield Shield preparation, he wasn’t talking about my BBL preparation – he was talking about my one-day international preparation,” the 29-year-old said.

Having regained his form in the last T20I against the strong England side, it will be interesting to see how Maxwell approaches the next innings when Australia take on England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday (February 10).

Australia’s T20I Squad for the Trans-Tasman Tri-Series:

David Warner(c), Aaron Finch, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, D Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 08 Feb, 2018

    Share Via